Seats should be stripped out of railway carriages to ease overcrowding,
according to the Government's public spending watchdog.

The National Audit Office has said that trains should be "reconfigured" to deal with soaring demand for rail travel in a report published today (Fri).

Its recommendations come as rail passengers brace themselves for Government spending cuts which has already seen plans to add more than 600 carriages to ease overcrowding put on hold.

Labour had pledged to spend £15.3 billion on the rail industry between 2009-14, with some of the money being devoted to adding capacity, with the industry told it should be able top handle 17 per cent more rush hour passengers coming into London and 27 per cent commuting to other major cities.

Two years ago figures released by the Department for Transport showed that passengers can be packed into carriages in conditions which would be regarded as unacceptable for goats, chickens, calves and sheep under EU animal welfare laws.

Earlier this year the Daily Telegraph disclosed that the overcrowding crisis had been exacerbated by train companies were operating trains with fewer seats than set out in their franchise agreements with the Department for Transport.

Related Articles

In its report the NAO criticised the previous Government over its plans for tackling overcrowding, saying that £1.2 billion specifically earmarked for new carriages would pay for a third less capacity than had been expected.

Last night the Government announced it would hold a "value for money" review into the entire carriage procurement programme.

With rolling stock proving more expensive than expected, the NAO said the DfT should have looked at redesigning the trains themselves.

Anthony Smith, Passenger Focus chief executive, said: “In an ideal world every passenger would get a seat. However, passengers are realistic and realise they won’t always get a seat during the rush hour or on short urban journeys.

“From our research, we know that passengers are extremely pragmatic about crowding. Passengers really dislike rows of three seats side by side and would rather stand in comfort, safety and be able to get on and off the train easily. But when passenger numbers start to grow again it’s inescapable that there will need to be more investment in more trains and longer trains.

A spokesman for the Association of Train Operating Companies added: “Capacity can be enhanced by adjusting the balance between passengers sitting and standing, but under the current system it would ultimately be for the Department for Transport to decide whether to take this option further.”